Category: Birthdays

Tues., Jan. 13th – I promised myself that I was going to conjure up the courage to tell Mrs. V. that I turned in my resignation for the 23rd instead of the 30th. As soon as she came in I followed her around, but she started talking about other things and then the reading period started so I didn’t have a chance till later. Once advisory finished I took a deep breath, turned in my chair and got up to speak to her…and the phone rings. It was already in her office, so I stayed where I stood to give her privacy. Who else was it but the principal?! I hoped upon hope that he wouldn’t tell her what day I was leaving; I wanted to tell her myself. I tried not to listen to her conversation but it’s hard accomplishing that since she has a loud voice and we’re only separated by a wall. It sounded like the principal was asking her why she let me quit LOL. Once she was off the phone I told her and she took it well. Or so, that’s how she made it seem externally. You never know how bad she wanted to strangle me inside.

I started on all the work she’d thought up for me before I left the position. I also started cleaning out my drawers and trying to organize the binder where I kept all my notes and so on. During last period Kassy came over to help me hotglue some banners onto the computers in the 8th grade hall. We picked up Luis on the way (he’d been kicked out of his class) and he helped us out. We did the whole hall in half an hour.

I don’t think I saw Mario at all that day. It was Jorge’s birthday, so he stayed at his house drinking because Jorge and Adan did that for his birthday. *rolls eyes* I told him if he drove home drunk and killed someone I’d kill him myself.

Wed., Jan 14th – I had another long day at work so I planned to do nothing all evening. I just wanted to get home and veg out on the couch after helping the boys with their homework. But nope. Big Mario already had the pit smoldering with mesquite and Mario joined him when he got home from work. We were having yet another impromptu bar-b-q, although I really can’t call them impromptu anymore because ever since Mario created that whole outdoor living room under the Party Porch he and Big Mario are having bar-b-q’s almost daily.

Mario’s aunt and uncle came over to visit, so I had to go out there and say hello, of course. I had no idea Mario’s Tia Marta was absolutely terrified of cats. She’d scream and jump every time she saw one! She even ran to their suburban when they were leaving and jiggled the door handle desperately until her husband unlocked the door because Ash and Alidocious were chilling out under the truck. I’d never seen anything like that.

Aide, Adan, Belle and later Jason, Mirella and Brianna came over. I chilled out with Adan, Aide and Bell for a while when it was just them visiting and then the girls all came inside. Mom of course followed. I felt awful about it, but I took shower while Aide was watching the babies. She insisted through my protests, though. We sat and watched TV when I got out of the shower and since the babies were getting fussy she left home. I started blow drying and straightening my hair while Alaethia watched a bit of Noggin. Brianna came in and started playing with Alaethia and then got tired and asked to have a cup of Ramen Noodles (at 10:15!). It was okay with her mom so I made it. Just as I was certain I’d pass out from exhaustion Mirella came in for her and they left. Then Aly and I finally went to bed.

If I remember correctly we chilled out at home most of the morning while Mario was out helping his Nino or someone do stuff. I’d been telling him about Roxanne’s little boy’s party at the new Chuck E. Cheese for a week so he wouldn’t say I’m telling him at the last minute. He gets home and he’s raving on and on about how sleepy he is. I’m getting all the kids ready and 10 minutes before it’s time to leave he conveniently falls asleep on his mom’s sofa in the living room. Grr! I was so pissed. He never goes with us anywhere. I was about to leave when Mom asks if she can go so she can help with the kids. I say fine, but she needed to promise she’d behave herself and not start fighting over centerpieces or anything embarrassing like that (yes, my mother’s one of THOSE ladies *hangs head*). She said she’d behave.

I stopped by Dollar General for a card because I didn’t have one, nor did I have time to make one so we’re already running late. It took forever to find a parking space and once I did I had to change Alaethia’s diaper. As we’re walking around the building to get to the front we’re shocked by the huge line trailing out of Chuck E. Cheese. I said aloud, “Please don’t tell me we have to get in line just to get into the party?” Everyone standing in line looked completely bewildered, but I had no patience so I walked to the beginning of the line and asked one of the hostesses if we had to wait like everyone else, or just go into the party? She said the line was for people who just wanted to eat dinner (WTF?) not for parties. We could go in and are stamped with a fluorescent stamp and I feel a little overwhelmed at how crowded the place is. I don’t know how it is at other Chuck E. Cheeses—obviously I’m a noob because this is the first Chuck E. Cheese in the Valley—but I did not expect it to be that insane. I quickly decided we would go ahead and just have Alaethia’s birthday party at Peter Piper.

We found the party and I tried to make my way into the narrow aisles with my big belly. There wasn’t anywhere to sit to begin with and especially not 5 seats together. I sat Aly with me and the boys shared a chair and Mom got her own of course. Poor Roxanne already looked frustrated. I don’t blame her. I took Jaylen and Alaethia to play while Eenan stayed with Mom at the table playing his DS. What was really cool about the games and rides at the place was that they were all only 1 token to play. We ran out of tokens so I went to the machine to find some and it was a 10 minute wait before they filled them up again. I was so frustrated and getting hot flashes while I waited. When the kids were done I went back to the tables and my heart sank when I saw that Eenan wasn’t sitting with Mom. I ask her what happened and she nonchalantly said, “Oh, he went to play.” I could have yelled at her. Did she not see how crowded it was? She did the same thing at Jaylen’s 4th birthday party at Mr. Gatti’s one time.

This time, she was too busy holding onto this plastic football-shaped gumball machine and making sure nobody “stole” it from her that she wasn’t watching my kid. I knew she’d do that. Jaylen offered to go out there and find him but I said no; all I needed was to be missing two kids in that ocean of bobbing heads. I was relieved when I finally saw a little boy in a red hoodie rising up towards the ceiling on a ride and it was Eenan. I waved at him and gestured for him to sit with us when he was done.

I was starving because I hadn’t had lunch and was so relieved when the pizza finally came. I missed the first pizza when I was out with the kiddos. Eenan had already eaten. A lot of my co-workers showed up so it was nice seeing everyone. The hostesses started to literally rush everyone out so that was my cue to get up and leave. As I was saying goodbye to everyone I was oblivious to Mom going around the tables and collecting knick-knacks and putting them in her pocket. I’d made her leave the gumball machine (which she was mad about) because, hello? She can’t even fill it with anything because she’s diabetic. She was annoyed when Mr. Salas told me to go ahead and take a popcorn tin. I didn’t want it, but she, of course, grabbed it for me.

I needed to go to Walmart and Target, but decided I’d just wait to go shopping till later. It took about 15 minutes to leave the darn place because they have to run your hand under a black light to check for the florescent light. The crowds and heat had helped Alaethia get into a horrible mood, so straight home it was.

We got home and I just glared at Mario the whole time. He was being really nice because he knew how angry I was. I told him that he was most definitely going with us to the next party we got invited to.

As I’m cleaning up the kitchen table and immediately transferring all the candy into ziplocs and hiding them in the cabinet, Mom pulls a Cowboys helmet out of her jacket and gives it to Jaylen. Then she pulls a metal football player out of her other pocket and gives it to Alaethia. I snatch it away because she could hurt herself with it and just shake my head at Mom. And she wonders why I don’t invite her to parties. I can’t ever take her anywhere.

I woke up and went on a cleaning frenzy. It was really the first day since I started my Christmas vacation that I could actually concentrate on tidying up. I was so behind on everything that just maintaining cleanliness wasn’t going to be enough; I’d have to clean hardcore in order to start maintaining! That’s what working does to me; I get lazy. I don’t know how other women do it to be a full-time mom and wife, hold a job, work and still have a clean house.

I took a break and checked my Myspace for a while, then cleaned again. I was just folding towels and telling to John I should call Sally when my phone starts singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. She read my mind! She asked if I wanted to meet for lunch at Olive Garden and I said of course. Mom was thankfully already over and offered to stay with the kiddos.

It was so nice seeing her. We hadn’t seen each other since Quentin’s birthday on the 6th. We talked about friends, my pregnancy, her work, my work and our marriages—those conversations are always interesting, heh. She said it was so different actually saying Emily’s name now that we knew what she’d be called, because she’s so used to just Eenan, Jaylen and Alaethia.

We talked about our houses (she wants to re-do her kitchen and I want to get my bedroom more organized) and she asked if I needed help. I said yes, sure! She said she’d be over the next day, at 7am. I promised I’d have breakfast ready.

She insisted on treating me at Olive Garden. She spoils me. I wish we could have hung out much longer but she had to get back to work. We said our ‘see you laters’ and I stopped to put gas in the truck. Can you believe I filled up with $15 (gas was $1.39 at this time)!

I stopped by Target to buy the 500gig external that was in the ads, but of course they were out. I got my inspection on the way home, finally. I’d needed to get it since October—how I dodged that bullet with the cops over here, I have no idea, but I’m grateful. How sad that I never went to get it because it takes too long and sure enough, they took about an hour or more. I got home and started cleaning again. I went into the bedroom and for once didn’t feel overwhelmed. I figured out how to rearrange the furniture; even drew a diagram. I feel really accomplished but I still have a lot to go.

Mario called on his way home from work and asked if I wanted to go to Adan’s for a bar-b-q they were having for his birthday. I said sure. Mom stayed with Alaethia, the boys stayed with Mary. The guys are so funny. So many pics nad incriminating videos were taken LOL. Jorge, Jason, Adan, Mario, two of Adan’s friends, 3 of his cousins, me and later Mirella were over. We probably would have stayed much longer, but since I had to be up early we came home at midnight. Alaethia was sleepy by the time we got home (yup, Mom still hadn’t put her to bed, can you believe it?) so that kind of worked out for us.